On this, the eve of the 2011/2012 Burnaby Burn season, it is worth remembering how we got to this point. Six years of hard work, soft back-checking, too many penalties, about a gazillion beers, and the best group of men I care to associate myself with keep me coming back for more.
One man in particular is Kenny Anderson. Ken has chosen to retire from the Burn this season, and while I will never fault anyone for making a decision to leave the team, I will miss Ken a lot. From his terrible (sometimes even painful) puns, to his bulgy shin thing, to his physique that puts us all to shame, he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and he was a pleasure to have as a member of our team.
There will be a 6′ 4″ hole on defense (and one in my heart) where you once stood (figuratively, in my heart).
Ken, we’ll all miss you. And I personally wish you all the best with whatever life brings you.
Thanks, man.
Goats and the Burn
Fully echo that. #22 was a rock on the back-end. Infrequent but very well chosen comments in the dressing room, and his play on the ice was beyond reproach. Not necessarily flashy (only because it’s not his style), but virtually mistake-free. My favorite Kenny moments were when he was unhappy with his play: he would give himself a good old-fashioned shit-kicking before he even got back to the bench. Quiet verbal tirades to himself (I would give my left arm to know what he was saying) were accompanied by gentle application of his Sherwood Featherlite 5030 to show the boards who’s boss.) Weckworth, Fitzpatrick, and I will have some slack to pick up. Keep the wind at your back, Kenny.
Kenny, your quite leadership and calming presence will be missed in the dressing room, and your skill and presence will be missed on the ice. Not sure what you’ll be doing with all the free time you have now, but I am sure it is better than wasting it with a bunch of loud mouth, beer guzzling, over penalized louts (wait… the loud mouth part probably only applies to me and Goats).
Good luck Ken, you will be missed by all. – alex